Living on earth talks about tropical forests with Maathai and others
It’s Living on Earth, I’m Steve Curwood. Tropical forests cover about
seven percent of the Earth, but the widespread cutting and burning of
these forests causes some twenty percent of all global warming gas
emissions worldwide. So experts in deforestation, rural development,
and climate are all working together to make sure that the next
international treaty on climate includes measures to slow the
destruction and degradation of forests. Living on Earth’s Ingrid Lobet
takes a look now at the driving forces of tropical deforestation.
LOBET: Even some veteran environmentalists have been startled to
realize how much the cutting and burning of tropical forests is
responsible for global warming. MAATHAI: For me, that was amazing.
LOBET: That’s Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai. The tree-planting
movement founder spoke at recent climate change talks in Poznan,
Poland. MAATHAI: Because quite often, we in the developing world, we
say we are not contributing much to greenhouse gases. But obviously if
you take into account deforestation, land degradation, the fact that
the majority of people use wood for lighting or cooking, then
obviously they are releasing a lot of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere, far more than I’m sure people are aware of. LOBET: In
Africa, Maathai says, it’s often villagers who cut the forest to plant
crops. MAATHAI: And because communities do not have an understanding
of how to use the land sustainably, prevent soil erosion, when you fly
over Africa, you see a lot of that slash and burn, especially within
the Congo Basin forest.
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=09-P13-00001&segmentID=3
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